Lions’ coach, Buono, calls hit on fan ‘unfortunate’
SURREY — The coach of the B.C. Lions is calling an incident where one of his players levelled a partially clothed fan “unfortunate.”
Wally Buono says his players need to focus on football after defensive back Marcell Young hit a fan who ran on to the field last Saturday wearing only an orange Lions jersey and boxer briefs.
The on-field antics came during a stoppage in play during the team’s home opener against Montreal, and two of Young’s teammates followed the hit with a chest bump and a high five as a security guard apprehended the fan on the ground.
The fan, who has since retained the services of a law firm, has not had his identity released, but Vancouver police have said he’s in his 20s and from Surrey.
The fan was issued a $115 ticket for trespassing and banned from BC Place for a year.
Buono says he has talked to his players about focusing on playing football, because doing anything else is only going to cause issues.
He noted that this isn’t the first time there’s been a confrontation between a fan and a professional athlete.
“It’s not something that you would ever want. It’s not healthy for the fan, it’s not healthy for the player. Nobody wins in those situations,” he said after practice on Thursday.
“Unfortunately, sports is an emotional game and sometimes things unfortunately get out of control.”
Buono added that everyone at a football game has responsibilities, from the players on the filed to the fans in the stands.
“You come to a professional sporting event, you pay for a ticket, that’s great, but it doesn’t exonerate you from un-normal behaviour,” Buono said. “A sporting event is just another part of society.”
Prezler Law Firm issued a statement Wednesday, saying the fan had retained its services and has “suffered serious injuries, including a mild traumatic brain injury” from the hit.
Hiring a lawyer seems like a cash grab, said Montreal Alouettes QB Drew Willy.
“That’s kind of the world we live in. Sometimes things just don’t make sense. At the end of the day, he’s probably just looking for a handout or something,” Willy said.
REDBLACKS 40, ROUGHRIDERS 17
OTTAWA — Quarterback Trevor Harris had a solid outing, throwing two TDs over 345 yards as the Ottawa Redblacks opened their regular season with a 40-17 victory over the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Thursday night at TD Place. Saskatchewan (1-1) lost starting quarterback Zach Collaros to injury in the second quarter.